Workspace virtualization is simply the ability to virtualize users’ desktops (workspaces). In other words, employees get the same working experience, regardless of their device or location. A user's desktop, applications and data can be available anywhere and from almost any physical device. There are several benefits of workspace virtualization that make it a clear favorite over outdated, traditional managed desktop:

Employees Are Always Connected

Since employees are not dependent on a specific device, they are always connected to your IT system no matter what happens. If an employee has to work from home, they’re covered. If they lose their work device, all of their crucial files will still be stored safely on the cloud.

Flexible Desktop Quantity

Many companies need desktops for unique one-off scenarios. For example, you may find that you need to introduce additional contractors during the holidays to handle the added workload. The flexibility of cloud-hosted desktops enables rapid scaling to accommodate these evolving needs.

Increased IT Efficiency

Workspace virtualization streamlines the management of devices while meeting employee expectations. It also simplifies IT management, allowing IT personnel to provide remote support.

For example, any major upgrade to a workstation OS or drivers in the traditional approach requires extensive planning and testing. If anything goes wrong with the upgrade, the roll back is a nightmare. But when using virtual desktop infrastructure, the entire process becomes very simple.

Affordable

With no new investment to get started, businesses only need to pay for the services they need. In addition, the pricing scale is consistent to enable predictable IT budgeting. Speaking of IT budgeting, workspace virtualization is also a great way to reduce your IT costs.

Reduced Risk & Compliance

When using a managed desktop, there is always the risk of losing of the device, and since the data is stored locally, the company may be exposed to risk especially if there is sensitive information, but in VDI, no data is stored locally, so even if you lose the a device, there is no exposure to risk. Also, all the data can be recovered when using virtual desktops.

Reduced Total Cost of Ownership

According to NEC, cloud hosted virtual desktops can deliver a savings of about 36% over managed desktops.

While deploying your virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), you can choose between Pooled VD or Dedicated VD.

Pooled VD creates a pool of virtual desktops, which are assigned to users as they sign-in. With Pooled VD, you can choose between 2 configurations: Single-Session and Multi-Session.

Single-Session VD is when only one user is assigned per virtual machine and is a great solution that offers great computation power at a competitive price.

Multi-session VD is when multiple users are connected to the same VM simultaneously and this is a great solution for businesses who want to cut costs even further.

Dedicated VD may be pricier; however, it comes with several unique benefits. Businesses that dedicate one VD can expect a fast, refined experience because of the dedicated CPU power for each user. The main notable difference is that any type of Pooled VD session will be lost after users log out. Conversely, Dedicated VD sessions are not impacted at all when users log out; users can log out from the office and continue to work from home without any impact to the work.

Both, such as Azure Windows Virtual desktop and Amazon Workspace, offers VDI services, but since most organizations already have Office 365 licenses, Windows VD might be a cheaper option.

You can use the following table for reference for making decision for your organization:

Criteria	Dedicated VD	Pooled VD
		Single Session	Multi-Session
Cost	$$$ Higher cost since you have a dedicated VD for each user	$$ Reduced cost since you are sizing based on your peak usage	$ Further reduction because you are sharing VMs
User Experience	Best experience There is no loss in comparison to using managed desktops	Reduced Experience User session is lost when user logs off VD	Reduced Experience Same as single session
Computational Power	+++ Similar to managed desktops. Dedicated CPUs	+++ Similar to managed desktops. Dedicated CPUs	++ CPU are shared between other users based on VM utilization
Admin Overhead	+++ Easiest to manage since each user VM are dedicated, issues can be resolved without impacting other users	+++ A slight increase in overhead since the VDs are pooled, so triaging becomes a little tricky	++ Increases the complexity since a VM is shared between users and you may have to configure VM based on user profile

At 1Rivet, we would love to explore workspace virtualization with you! We are at our best partnering with both business and technology, collaborating as one unified team. Your success is our top priority! For more information on our focused Workspace Virtualization solutions, please email us at info@1rivet.com.